At a time historically when conversation is for the most part a lost art, I am amazed that the only people talking are those trapped next to each other on flights or in prison cells on lockdown, or on sinking ships once the last lifeboat is filled. Conversation is not the penalty for isolation, but often it feels such.

Friday, November 07, 2014

Tracy Porter, University of San Francisco Trustee, joins us to talk aboutthe
University of San Francisco (USF) will welcome 60-80 (7th and 12th
Graders) under-resourced middle and high school students to campus from
Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord on Saturday, Nov. 8. He
is CEO of Premiere Solutions, a firm connecting businesses with
transportation services. He assisted with the launch of the auto
brokerage firm Elite Auto Network.

Tracy Porter (center) with Elite Staff

Porter worked with the Johnson and Johnson company’s management, marketing, and sales teams for 14 years. He is a veteran of the National Football League, playing for the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts, and Indianapolis Colts.

He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and is a graduate of The Wharton Executive Development Program. This is the 5th annual
event of its kind, bringing in prominent African American professionals
to speak with students about how they achieved professional success and
encourage higher education. Among the speakers slated for Nov. 8: Charles H. Smith, former president and CEO of AT&T West (45,000 employees), Tracy Porter, CEO of Premiere Solutions, and Dr. Clarence B. Jones, attorney and speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr.

Having
the event on a university campus is a way of encouraging the young men
and inspiring them to set their sights on college. USF President Fr. Paul Fitzgerald, S.J., will be on hand in the morning to officially welcome the young men to campus.

Following
the keynote address by Dr. Jones, CARES students will have the
opportunity to attend workshops led by USF professors and Epsilon Beta
Boulé members, offering practical tools for academic success and career
advice for a variety of professions including teaching, health sciences,
marketing, business, and technology.

Victor Fields sings the music of Lou RawlsThe Lou Rawls Project infuses elements of jazz, soul, and R&B to present a fresh and contemporary approach to the tribute collection.
Recorded in Minneapolis, London, Nashville and the Bay Area, the project
features a collection of timeless standards such as “The Girl From
Ipanema,” “Natural Man,” and “(I'd Rather Drink) Muddy Water” alongside
signature staples like, “You’ll Never Find A Love Like Mine,” “See You
When I Get There” and the lead single “Lady Love”. The Lou Rawls Project features producing chores by Fields’ long-time musical collaborator, producer/musician Chris Camozzi,
and a coterie of legendary Bay Area artists that include: Nelson
Braxton, Brian Collier, Skyler Jett, Vince Lars and others. “My purpose
is to celebrate the timeless talent of Lou Rawls and the rich musical
legacy that he left behind,” says Fields.

Musi-kongo Malonga

Muisi-kongo Malonga, choreographer and dancer joins us once again to speak about the remounting of her Kimpa Vita! Nov. 14-16, at CounterPulse in San Francisco.Kimpa Vita! is
a music, dance and theater narrative told through the dual lens of
Kongolese and African American cultural arts traditions, exploring the
controversial life of Kongolese prophet and martyr, Mama Kimpa Vita. At
the heart of Kimpa Vita! are movement and poetry set to a
musical score that layers the wailing cadence of African American
spirituals with the textured harmonies of traditional Kongolese song and
percussion.

Plot for Peace

We close with an extended conversation with Spanish director, Carlos Agulló, who speaks about Indelible Media's PLOT FOR PEACE,
opening on November 7, 2014, at Landmark’s Opera Plaza Cinemas in San
Francisco which he will attend for Q&A after the 7:20pm and 9:55pm
shows.

The untold story behind History, a
well-kept secret behind the world-wide icon : Nelson Mandela’s release
was a Plot for Peace. PLOT FOR PEACE is a character-driven historical
thriller documentary feature about the demise of apartheid. It tells the
story of Jean-Yves Ollivier, alias “Monsieur Jacques”,
whose behind-the-scenes bargaining was instrumental in bringing about
regional peace and the end of racial discrimination in South Africa.
For the first time, heads of state, generals, diplomats, master spies
and anti-apartheid fighters reveal how Africa’s front line states helped
end apartheid. The improbable key to Mandela’s prison cell was a
mysterious French businessman, dubbed “Monsieur Jacques” in classified
correspondence. His trade secret was trust.

Perhaps though more, director Carlos Agulló writes in his notes is Ollivier's example that one person can make a difference, and that relationships are developed over time and that trust is not something that happens from afar, it is interpersonal and up close.

Carlos is part of the lively core of Spanish auteur cinema increasingly being recognized outside its borders. He worked as an assistant editor on The Sea Inside by Alejandro Amenábar, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and later as film editor for other award winning Spanish directors such as Mateo Gil (Back to Moira), Oskar Santos (For the Good of Others), Jorge Blanco (Planet 51) and Jorge Sánchez Cabezudo (Crematorium). He has also directed several of his own award-winning short films. The South African documentary PLOT FOR PEACE is his first feature.Here is a link to the show which ends in an hour long interview with the director:http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks/2014/11/07/wandas-picks-radio-show